Gift wrap lingerie

ABSTRACT

A novel type of lingerie garment that wraps around a person to create a bow shaped design across the person&#39;s chest area to give the appearance that the person wearing the garment has been gift wrapped. When being worn, the garment fastens in a manner in which it can be removed from the person&#39;s body in a quick and efficient manner by pulling one end of the bow. Methods of wrapping a person in the lingerie garment and unwrapping the lingerie garment are further provided.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is related to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser.No. 60/742,231 filed Dec. 5, 2005 entitled “Gift Wrap Lingerie,” theentirety of which is incorporated as if set forth in its entiretyherein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a novel type of lingeriegarment, and is specifically directed to a lingerie garment that wrapsaround a person to create a bow to make it appear as if the personwearing the garment has been gift wrapped. The present invention isfurther directed to methods of wrapping and unwrapping a person wearingthe lingerie garment.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is generally well known that people exchange gifts with one anotherthat are often wrapped with a ribbon or a bow. The apparent purpose ofthe bow in presenting gifts is to dress up the item being given so thatits presentation is more elaborate or decorative and additionally toconceal a portion of the gift so that when it is unwrapped by therecipient there is an element of surprise. Commonly, a bow covering aparticular article or gift can be quickly and easily unfastened bypulling at one end of the bow such that it comes apart to reveal theunderlying article in its entirety. It is generally understood that partof the enjoyment of receiving a wrapped gift is unwrapping it to seewhat has been given.

It is also generally well known that there are a great number of typesand styles of undergarments presently available; many having a varietyof seemingly unique functional or aesthetic characteristics directed tothe distinct tastes of different types of individuals. Since lingerie isoften times worn under other clothing however, it will typically only beseen by persons other than the wearer in intimate or privatecircumstances. In anticipation of these circumstances, certain types oflingerie will sometimes be purchased or worn by individuals for theenjoyment of a partner or spouse.

In keeping with the aforementioned points, it would thus be desirable tohave a type of lingerie garment that can wrap around a person to createa bow in order to make it appear as if the person wearing the garmenthas been gift wrapped. Such a garment would enable the wearer to presentthemselves to another person in intimate situations as a present to beunwrapped. It would be further desirable if such a garment could beunfastened like a bow placed over a gift and could thus be unwrapped orremoved from the person's body in a quick and efficient manner by simplypulling one end of the bow. It would also be desirable if theaforementioned garment could be comprised of a pliable and durablematerial such that it will not tear or become damaged during theunwrapping process and could thus be washed and reused.

As will be described in greater deal hereinafter, the present inventionsatisfies these needs as well as other features and advantages whichwill become apparent from the following description and the appendedclaims.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention, in one embodiment, is directed to a lingerie garmentfeaturing a first elongated strip of pliable material having a first andsecond end and being of sufficient length to laterally encircle awearer's torso at least once. The first and second ends of the strip areadapted to be tied together to form a bow shaped design having asubstantially centrally located knot. The lingerie garment additionallyfeatures a second elongated strip of pliable material having a first andsecond end and is of sufficient length to longitudinally encircle thetorso of a wearer at least once by extending from the wearer's breastarea over at least a portion of the wearer's shoulder and down thewearer's back side. From the wearer's back side the second elongatedstrip extends between a wearer's legs and over at least a portion of thewearer's abdominal area so that it may be fastened to a portion of thefirst elongated strip.

The second end of the second elongated strip is further adapted to forma loop which is able to fasten to itself to form the knot of the bow.Accordingly, when the garment is fastened at the front of a wearer, thefirst and second ends of the first elongated strip are folded and passedthrough the loop formed at the second end of the second elongated stripto form bow loops.

The invention, in one form, is further directed to a method of wrappinga wearer in the lingerie garment as well as to a separate method ofunwrapping the garment. The method of wrapping the wearer includesplacing the wearer's arm through a sleeve formed between the first andsecond elongated strip such that the second elongated strip extends overat least a portion of the wearer's shoulder and down the wearer's backside; pulling the second elongated strip between the wearer' legs suchthat a second end of the strip extends from the wearer's back side totheir abdominal area; folding the second end of the second elongatedstrip to form a loop; folding the first end of the first elongated stripover itself and passing it through the loop formed by the second end ofthe second elongated strip to form a first bow loop; doing the same withthe second end of the first elongated strip to form a second bow loop;pulling the first and second bow loops until the first elongated stripis securely around the wearer's torso; and adjusting the bow formed bythe garment such that it covers at least a portion of the wearer'sbreast area.

Once fastened to a wearer, in one embodiment, the lingerie garment isadapted to be quickly and easily removed. In removing the garment fromthe wearer, one simply pulls a portion of the bow in a direction awayfrom the knot such that the bow loses its shape and unfastens the firstand second elongated strips from one another at the wearer's breastarea. The elongated strips are then permitted to separate from oneanother such that the garment becomes unwrapped from the wearer's body.This method of unwrapping is analogous to unwrapping a gift and can bedone by the wearer or someone else in the wearer's presence.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of oneembodiment of the present invention being worn by a female person.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lingerie garment of the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 1 laid out in an unfolded configuration.

FIG. 3 is a rear perspective view of the lingerie garment of theembodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 fastened to a mannequin.

FIG. 4 is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 worn by a female person with analternate type of bow.

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 worn by a female person with analternate type of bow.

FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the lingerie garment of theembodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 with an additional bow fastened alongthe second elongated strip.

FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of an alternate embodiment of thelingerie garment of the present invention being worn by a female person.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of an additional embodiment of thelingerie garment of the present invention being worn by a male person.

FIG. 9 is a front perspective view of another embodiment of the lingeriegarment of the present invention being worn by a female person.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in variousforms, there is shown in the drawings a number of presently preferredembodiments that are discussed in greater detail hereafter. It should beunderstood that the present disclosure is to be considered as anexemplification of the present invention, and is not intended to limitthe invention to the specific embodiments illustrated. It should befurther understood that the title of this section of this application(“Detailed Description of the Drawings”) relates to a requirement of theUnited States Patent Office, and should not be found to limit thesubject matter disclosed herein.

Referring now to the appended drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1-3,FIG. 1 shows a lingerie garment 10 of one embodiment of the inventionworn by a female wearer 11; FIG. 2 illustrates the lingerie garment 10laid out and arranged in an unfolded condition; and FIG. 3 illustratesthe back side of a mannequin having the garment fastened thereto. Asshown in FIGS. 1-3, the garment 10 features a first elongated strip 21of pliable material having a first end 22 and a second end 23. In thisembodiment, the first elongated strip 21 is of sufficient length tolaterally encircle the torso of a wearer 11 at least once around thewearer's chest area. As illustrated in FIG. 1, when the lingerie garment10 is fastened to a wearer 11, the first and second ends 22, 23 of thefirst elongated strip 21 are adapted to be tied together to form a bow31 having at least one loop 32, 33 and a substantially centrally locatedknot 34. While FIG. 1 shows the bow 31 positioned over the frontal chestarea of the female wearer 11, those of ordinary skill in the art willunderstand that the bow 31 may be positioned at any location about thewearer's torso without departing from the scope of the invention.

The lingerie garment 10 additionally features a second elongated stripof pliable material 24 having a first end 25 and a second end 26. Asshown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the second elongated strip 24 is of sufficientlength to longitudinally encircle the torso of a wearer 11 at least onceby extending from the wearer's breast area over at least a portion ofthe wearer's shoulder and down the wearer's back side. The secondelongated strip 24 continuing from the wearer's back side such that itis passable between the wearer's legs and over at least a portion of thewearer's abdominal area so that it may be fastened to a portion of thefirst elongated strip 21.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, in one embodiment, the first end 25 of thesecond strip 24 may be fastened to the first elongated strip 21 betweenits first and second ends 22, 23 at a plurality of locations such that asleeve 27 is formed, the sleeve 27 being of sufficient length to enablea wearer to extend an arm through the formed sleeve 27 such that thesecond strip 24 covers at least a portion of the wearer's shoulder. Thesecond end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 may feature at least oneattachment means 28, the attachment means 28 enabling the secondelongated strip 24 to fasten to itself when folded over to form a loop.When fastened to a wearer 11, the loop formed by the second end 26 ofthe second elongated strip 24 becomes an additional point of attachmentbetween the first elongated strip 21 and second elongated strip 24 byserving as the knot 34 of the bow 31 formed by the first and second ends22, 23 of the first elongated strip 21.

An assortment of various fasteners may serve as the attachment means 28located at the second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 including,for example, hook and loop fasteners such as Velcro® brand fasteners, atleast one button and at least one button hole, at least one hook and atleast one eyelet, at least one snap-in stud and at least one studreceiver, a buckle, a hook and loop fastener or any other type offastener that will allow the second end 26 of the second elongated strip24 to fasten to itself to form a loop.

The lingerie garment 10 may be made from a variety of different types ofpliable fabric such as, for example, cotton, silk, linen, polyester, amixture or blend of more than one type of material, paper, wool, or anyother type of suitable material that will allow the garment 10 to fastenaround a wearer. In addition, it is preferable that the material usedfor the garment 10 be sufficiently durable so that it may be fastenedand unfastened to a wearer 11 without being torn or otherwise damagesand also so that it may be washed such that it may be reused ondifferent occasions. The garment 10 can further be decorated in avariety of different styles, colors or patterns and may be provided in aone-size-fits-all design or alternatively may be provided so that,depending on the size of the individual wearer, a different sizedgarment 10 is used. Further, while FIGS. 1-7 illustrate variousembodiments of the garment 10 being worn by a female wearer 11, thegarment 10 is not limited to females and may be worn in a similarfashion by male individuals as well.

The bow 31 of the garment 10 may feature a variety of different sizes orshapes. Specifically, while the bow 31 illustrated in FIG. 1 featurestwo loops, 32, 33 having a specific size, larger or smaller bows 31 aswell as bows having an alternate number of loops are contemplated byvarious forms of the garment 10. FIGS. 4-5 illustrate, for example, twodifferent types of bows 31 a, 31 b that can be used with the garment 10.The first and second strips 21, 24 of the garment 10 may additionallyfeature hook and loop fasteners, such as for example Velcro® brandfasteners in a variety of different locations in order to assist infastening the garment 10 around the wearer 11.

FIG. 6 illustrates the lingerie garment 10 having a supplemental bow 35fastened to the second elongated strip 24 between the first and secondends 25, 26. While FIG. 6 illustrates the supplemental bow 35 to belocated proximate to the front crotch area of the wearer 11, those ofordinary skill in the art will understand that the supplemental bow 35may be positioned at any location along the second elongated strip 24between the first and second ends 25, 26. Specifically, when a garment10 having a supplemental bow 35 is fastened to a wearer, thesupplemental bow 35 may be positioned, for example, at any location onthe back side of the wearer 11, or above or in a position covering thewearer's buttocks. Further, the present invention may additionallyfeature a plurality of supplemental bows along the second elongatedstrip 24 which may be arranged in a number of different configurations.

One embodiment of the present invention is further directed to a methodof wrapping a wearer 11 in the lingerie garment 10 as well as to aseparate method of unwrapping garment 10. In wrapping a wearer 11 withthe garment, the wearer's arm is first placed through the sleeve 27formed between the first and second elongated strips 21, 24 such thatthe second elongated strip 24 extends over at least a portion of thewearer's shoulder and down the wearer's back side. The second elongatedstrip 24 is then pulled between the wearer' legs such that a second endof the strip 26 extends from the wearer's back side to their abdominalarea. The second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24 is then foldedto form a loop which will become the knot 34 of the bow 31. The firstend 22 of the first elongated strip 21 is then folded over itself andpassed through the loop formed by the second end 26 of the secondelongated strip 24 to form a loop 32 of the bow 31. The second end 23 ofthe first elongated strip 21 is then folded over itself and passedthrough the loop formed by the second end 26 of the second elongatedstrip 24 to form another loop 33 of the bow 31. The first and second bowloops 32, 33 are then pulled until the first elongated strip 21 issecurely around the wearer's torso, and the bow 31 formed by the garment10 is then adjusted in order to preferably cover at least a portion ofthe wearer's breast area.

Once fastened to a wearer 11, the lingerie garment 10 is adapted to bequickly and easily removed. In removing the garment 10 from the wearer11, a portion of the bow 31 is simply pulled in a direction away fromthe knot 34 such that the bow loses its shape and unfastens the firstand second elongated strips 21, 24 from one another at the wearer'sbreast area; the elongated strips 21, 24 are then permitted to separatefrom one another such that the garment 10 becomes unwrapped from thewearer's body. This method of unwrapping is analogous to unwrapping agift and can be done by the wearer or someone else in the wearer'spresence.

FIG. 7 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the lingerie garment 10being worn by a female person 11. As shown in FIG. 7, the garment 10features a first elongated strip 21 of pliable material having a firstend 22 and a second end 23. In this embodiment, the first elongatedstrip 21 is of sufficient length to laterally encircle the torso of awearer 11 at least once around the wearer's chest area. When thelingerie garment 10 is fastened to a wearer 11, the first and secondends 22, 23 of the first elongated strip 21 are adapted to be tiedtogether to form a bow 31 having at least one loop 32, 33 and asubstantially centrally located knot 34. While FIG. 7 shows the bow 31positioned over the frontal chest area of the female wearer 11, those ofordinary skill in the art will understand that the bow 31 may bepositioned at any location about the wearer's torso without departingfrom the scope of the present invention.

The lingerie garment 10 additionally features a second elongated stripof pliable material 24 having a first end 25 and a second end 26. Thefirst end 25 of the second elongated strip 26 is fastened to the firstelongated strip 21 between its first and second ends 22, 23 such thatwhen the first elongated strip 21 is fastened around the wearer's torsothe second elongated strip extends longitudinally down the wearer'sbackside and between the wearer's legs, the second strip 24 continuingfrom between the wearer's legs to extend over at least a portion of thewearer's abdominal area to be fastened to a portion of the firstelongated strip 21.

As with the other embodiments, the lingerie garment of the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 7 may feature at least one supplemental bow 35fastened between the first and second ends 25, 26 of the secondelongated strip 24. Further, the second elongated strip 24 may featureat least one attachment means 28, the attachment means 28 enabling thesecond elongated strip 24 to fasten to itself when folded over to form aloop. In addition, the first and second strips 21, 24 of the garment 10may feature hook and loop fasteners, such as for example Velcro® brandfasteners in a variety of different locations in order to fasten aroundthe wearer 11.

FIG. 8 illustrates an additional embodiment of the lingerie garment 10being worn by a male person 11. In this embodiment, the garment 10features a first elongated strip of pliable material 21 of sufficientlength to encircle the waist area of a wearer 11 at least once. Thefirst elongated strip 21 further includes first and second ends 22, 23which are adapted to be tied together to form a bow 31 having at leastone loop 32, 33 and a substantially centrally located knot 34. Thegarment 10 additionally features a second elongated strip of pliablematerial 24. having first (not shown) and second ends 26. In thisembodiment, the first end of the second elongated strip 24 is fastenedto the first elongated strip 21 between its first and second ends suchthat when the first elongated strip 21 is fastened around the wearer'swaist, the second elongated strip 24 extends in a substantiallyperpendicular direction from the first elongated strip 21 to cover atleast a portion of the wearer's buttocks. The second elongated strip 24extending from the wearer's buttocks between the wearer's legs to coverat least a portion of the wearer's crotch area. The second end 26 of thesecond elongated strip 24 adapted to fasten to the first elongated strip21 in a manner identical to that previously disclosed with respect toother embodiments. The second end 26 of the second elongated strip 24forming the knot 34 of the bow 31.

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternate embodiment of the lingerie garment 10being worn by a female person 11. In this embodiment, the bottom portion20 of the garment 10 has characteristics identical to those previouslydescribed in connection with the garment 10 illustrated in FIG. 8 andthus will not be repeated. The garment 10 of this embodiment howeveradditionally features a top portion 30 made of a third elongated strip41 of pliable material. The third elongated strip 41 of this embodimentis of sufficient length to encircle the torso area of a wearer 11 atleast once and further features a first and second end 42, 43 that areadapted to be tied together to form a bow 31 a having at least one loop32, 33 and a substantially centrally located knot 34.

The present disclosure includes that which is contained in the appendedclaims, as well as that of the forgoing description. Although, thisinvention has been described in its preferred form with a certain degreeof particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of thepreferred form has been made only by way of example, and that numerouschanges in the details of the elements, compositions and the combinationof individual ingredients may be resorted to without departing from thespirit or scope of the invention.

1. A lingerie garment comprising: a first elongated strip of pliablematerial having a first and second end, the first elongated strip beingof sufficient length to laterally encircle a wearer's torso at leastonce, the first and second ends of the strip adapted to be tied togetherto form a bow shaped design having a substantially centrally locatedknot; and a second elongated strip of pliable material having a firstand second end, the second elongated strip being of sufficient length tolongitudinally encircle the torso of a wearer at least once by extendingfrom the wearer's breast area over at least a portion of the wearer'sshoulder and down the wearer's back side, from the wearer's back sidethe second elongated strip being passable between a wearer's legs andover at least a portion of the wearer's abdominal area to be fastened toa portion of the first elongated strip.
 2. The lingerie garment of claim1 wherein the first elongated strip has a non-uniform width such thatthe first and second ends have a greater width than an area between theends.
 3. The lingerie garment of claim 1 wherein the second elongatedstrip has a substantially uniform width along the length of the strip.4. The lingerie garment of claim 1 wherein the first end of the secondelongated strip is fastened to the first elongated strip between itsfirst and second ends at a plurality of locations such that a sleeve isformed, the sleeve being of sufficient diameter to enable a wearer toextend an arm through the formed sleeve such that the second stripcovers at least a portion of the wearer's shoulder.
 5. The lingeriegarment of claim 1 wherein the second elongated strip features at leastone supplemental bow fastened between the first and second ends of thesecond elongated strip.
 6. The lingerie garment of claim 1 wherein thesecond end of the second elongated strip features at least oneattachment means, the attachment means enabling the second elongatedstrip to fasten to itself when folded over to form a loop.
 7. Thelingerie garment of claim 6 wherein the attachment means comprises anarrangement selected from the group consisting of hook and loopfasteners, at least one button and at least one button hole, at leastone hook and at least one eyelet, at least one snap-in stud and at leastone stud receiver, a buckle, and a hook and loop fastener.
 8. A lingeriegarment comprising: a first elongated strip of pliable material having afirst and second end, the first elongated strip being of sufficientlength to laterally encircle a wearer's torso at least once, the firstand second ends of the strip adapted to be tied together to form a bowshaped design having a substantially centrally located knot; and asecond elongated strip of pliable material having a first and secondend, the first end of the second elongated strip is fastened to thefirst elongated strip between its first and second ends such that whenthe first elongated strip is fastened around the wearer's torso thesecond elongated strip extends longitudinally down the wearer's backsideand between the wearer's legs, the second strip continuing from betweenthe wearer's legs to extend over at least a portion of the wearer'sabdominal area to be fastened to a portion of the first elongated strip.9. The lingerie garment of claim 8 wherein the first elongated strip hasa non-uniform width such that the first and second ends have a greaterwidth than an area between the ends.
 10. The lingerie garment of claim 8wherein the second elongated strip has a substantially uniform widthalong the length of the strip.
 11. The lingerie garment of claim 8wherein the second elongated strip features at least one supplementalbow fastened between the first and second ends of the second elongatedstrip.
 12. The lingerie garment of claim 8 wherein the second end of thesecond elongated strip features at least one attachment means, theattachment means enabling the second elongated strip to fasten to itselfwhen folded over to form a loop.
 13. The lingerie garment of claim 12wherein the attachment means comprises an arrangement selected from thegroup consisting of hook and loop fasteners, at least one button and atleast one button hole, at least one hook and at least one eyelet, atleast one snap-in stud and at least one stud receiver, a buckle, and ahook and loop fastener.
 14. A lingerie garment comprising: a firstelongated strip of pliable material having a first and second end, thefirst elongated strip being of sufficient length to laterally encircle awearer's waist at least once, the first and second ends of the stripadapted to be tied together to form a bow shaped design having asubstantially centrally located knot; and a second elongated strip ofpliable material having a first and second end, the first end of thesecond elongated strip is fastened to the first elongated strip betweenits first and second ends such that when the first elongated strip isfastened around the wearer's waist the second elongated strip extends ina substantially perpendicular direction from the first elongated strip,the second elongated strip coving at least a portion of the wearer'sbuttocks and extending between the wearer's legs, the second stripcontinuing from between the wearer's legs to cover at least a portion ofthe wearer's crotch area and adapted to be fastened to a portion of thefirst elongated strip.
 15. The lingerie garment of claim 14 furthercomprising: a third elongated strip of pliable material having a firstand second end, the third elongated strip being of sufficient length tolaterally encircle a wearer's torso at least once, the first and secondends of the strip adapted to be tied together to form a bow shapeddesign having a substantially centrally located knot.
 16. The lingeriegarment of claim 14 wherein the first elongated strip has a non-uniformwidth such that the first and second ends have a greater width than anarea between the ends.
 17. The lingerie garment of claim 14 wherein thesecond elongated strip has a substantially uniform width along thelength of the strip.
 18. The lingerie garment of claim 14 wherein thesecond end of the second elongated strip features at least oneattachment means, the attachment means enabling the second elongatedstrip to fasten to itself when folded over to form a loop.
 19. Thelingerie garment of claim 18 wherein the attachment means comprises anarrangement selected from the group consisting of hook and loopfasteners, at least one button and at least one button hole, at leastone hook and at least one eyelet, at least one snap-in stud and at leastone stud receiver, a buckle, and a hook and loop fastener.
 20. A methodof wrapping a person in a lingerie garment having first and secondelongated strips of pliable material fastened together at a locationproximate to a wearer's breast area by a bow having a centrally locatedknot, the method comprising: placing the wearer's arm through a sleeveformed between the first and second elongated strip such that the secondelongated strip extends over at least a portion of the wearer's shoulderand down the wearer's back side; pulling the second elongated stripbetween the wearer' legs such that a second end of the strip extendsfrom the wearer's back side to their abdominal area; folding the secondend of the second elongated strip to form a loop; folding a first end ofthe first elongated strip over itself; passing the first end of thefirst elongated strip through the loop formed by the second end of thesecond elongated strip to form a first bow loop; folding a second end ofthe first elongated strip over itself; passing the second end of thefirst elongated strip through the loop formed by the second end of thesecond elongated strip to form a second bow loop; pulling the first andsecond bow loops until the first elongated strip is securely around thewearer's torso; and adjusting the bow formed by the garment such that itcovers at least a portion of the wearer's breast area.
 21. A method ofunwrapping a lingerie garment from a wearer where the garment featuresat least two elongated strips of pliable material fastened together at alocation proximate to a wearer's breast area by a bow having a centrallylocated knot, the method comprising: pulling a portion of the bow in adirection away from the centrally located knot such that the bow losesits shape and unfastens the elongated strips from one another at thewearer's breast area; and permitting the elongated strips to separatefrom one another such that the garment becomes unwrapped from thewearer's body.